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David S. Gran

Film & Art Educator

InThinking Site Author • Apple Distinguished Educator • National Board Certified Teacher

What I Do

My work aims to integrate art and technology in meaningful and innovative ways.

Click the button above to read more.

My Students

I build and teach arts programs that blend film, technology, and project-based learning.

Click the button above to learn about what my students do in my classes.

My Resume

You can find my resume here or click the link above for further details.

Where I'm At

Click the button above to find me online and in the real world.

Much of my pedagogy was shaped by my professor, Maxine Greene. In her classes we discussed the transformative effect that studying art has on the ability to imagine new possibilities. This ability, according to her, is one of the most critical for thinking about participation in a democratic society; to envision change.

Click the "vision" button below to learn more about how this concept has shaped my teaching practice.

Vision

WHAT I DO

I’ve found that my work and home life naturally balance each other because there is so much overlap between them. My curiosity about new media, new tools, and new experiences feeds directly into what I share with my students, keeping my teaching grounded in exploration and discovery.

My own curiosity guides my teaching practice, which centers on empathy, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Together with my wife Kim, we've helped built programs like the Innovation Institute and Changemakers to give students the chance to connect ideas across disciplines and create with real purpose. That kind of learning feels especially urgent today, as technologies like AI keep pushing us to rethink what students truly need to understand.

Rethinking Education

Click the "Rethinking Education" button to learn more about some of things that make my classes different.

My personal art takes many forms; photography, printmaking, digital art, painting... cake...

Click the "Artist Portfolio" link to see some examples of my work.

Artist Portfolio

One of the ways I share my passion for teaching outside of the classroom is by writing about it. Over the past 20 years, I've authored articles for magazines and chapters for books; created an award-winning blog, wrote a column for Davis Publications School Arts Magazine for over five years, and I am the co-author of the DP Film site for InThinking.

Professional Writing

Click the "Professional Writing" button to read some examples of my writing.

I design experiences that connect students with the world outside the classroom; field trips that spark their curiosity, guest speakers who offer new perspectives, festivals that celebrate student voices, and unique projects centered around the students building their own meaningful experineces.

Outside the Classroom

Click the "Outside the Classroom" button to see where my students have been.

WHAT MY
STUDENTS DO

Film

My students have won awards at festivals all around the world and earned invitations to participate in highly selective film competitions. More importantly, they have made personally meaningful films.

Click the film button to learn more about my work with students in the area of filmmaking.

STEAM

I helped build a Maker Space at the Shanghai American School that sat at the intersection, both literally and figuratively, of our Innovation Space as well as our Science and Art departments. A key focus of my Innovation & Design class was to leverage this space, pushing students to explore new territory where art and technology meet. Using fabrication tools, laser cutters, microcontrollers, and engineering principles, students created dynamic, interactive sculptures and more.

Click the STEAM button to learn more.

Visual Art

Over the past 20 years, I have taught art at many levels, from elementary to IBDP. I've incorporated a wide variety of traditional and digital media, and often pushed their interactions within a class.

Click the Visual Arts button to learn more.

I believe in a classroom where students are the primary drivers of their own learning. This collection celebrates their ability to ask questions, experiment, and create meaningful work in film, visual arts, and STEAM.

RESUMÉ

Find my complete resume here.

Highlights

Changemakers PBL Program

Founding Member

Innovation Institute

Founding Member

InThinking DP Film

Site Author

National Board Certified Teacher

Art Education EAYA

Apple Distinguished Educator

Apple Asia, Class of 2008

Learning 2

Founding Committee Member

International Baccalaureate

IB Film Curriculum Committee

IB Film Examiner

Shanghai Student Film Festival

Co-Founder, Director

Experience

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International School Nido de Aguilas

IB Film & Changemaker Teacher

Interdisciplinary Department Head

Shanghai American School

IB Film & Art Teacher

Technology Coach

K-12 Art Dept Coordinator

Huntington Union Free School District

High School Film, Art & Theater Teacher

Drama Director

Interim K-12 District Arts Director

Harlem School for the Arts

Film & Arts Teacher

Education

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Harvard Business School Online

Certificate in School Management & Leadership

2025

Teachers College, Columbia University

MA in Art Education

2001

School of Visual Arts

Continuing Education Classes in Studio Art

2000

Institute for Shipboard Education

Semester at Sea

1994

Binghamton University

BA in Anthropology and Film

1994

Leadership

International School Nido de Aguilas

Interdisciplinary Department Head

Shanghai American School

K-12 Art Dept Coordinator

Huntington Union Free School District

Interim District K-12 Art Director

Shanghai Student Film Festival

Founding Director

Presentations

2021: Shanghai American School: Gamification for the Classroom

Professional Development presentation for faculty on enhancing student engagement in the classroom through games.

2017: DreamWorks Filmmakers’ Night: Tim Burton Exhibition Panel

Guest Speaker for DreamWorks event celebrating the work of Tim Burton at his Art Exhibition in Shanghai.

2016: EARCOS Teachers Conference: Collaboration in Art Education

An exploration of possible projects and opportunities for art teachers using 21st century skills and tools

2016: EARCOS Teachers Conference: Music for Tone Deaf Film Teachers

Strategies and suggestions for approaching music in a film course for film teachers with no expertise in film. Created and presented with Film Composer Rolf Becker.

2010: EARCOS Plenary Session: The Shanghai Student Film Festival

Presentation to full conference about how films & film festivals engage students in their learning and provide authentic audiences. Presented to all participants of the conference.

2009: Apple Education Leadership Summit

Instruction on techniques in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express for classroom use.

2008: Learning 2 Conference Host

Organized and Co-Hosted 3 pre-conference sessions for the Learning 2.0 Conference in Second Life with Chris Smith. Guests included Ewen McIntosh, David Warlick, and Alan Levine.

Publications